wickyman

I was looking at everything that everyone has said. I am really not looking to get sponsored anytime soon. I am only a nooby to fishing, I just want to represent myself in a manner, that looks more professional, in case someone decides to give me a chance. I have only been bass fishing a few years. I am not great, but I consider myself to be pretty decent. I have found myself in situations, that have actually been harsh for fishing conditions, and still caught fish. But looking at the way I was dressed, no one would have taken me seriously. I have basically, had my hands tied, to the kind of clothing I have. I have baggy jeans, and t-shirts, shirts with no sleeves, etc. Mostly because of the region I live... Northern California gets hot! I just never really looked at buying clothing, that would suit my bass fishing needs. I was usually more worried about being comfortable, on the water. I was looking at basspro.com, and was checking out their tournament shirt, with the button up, and their logo on it. Would that be alright to wear, as long as I am not trying to say that I am sponsored by them? I am a pretty humble man, and don't feel the need to lie about anything, in general. I have been told several times to check into becoming a pro, at least on the FLW, or some other circuit. But I haven't felt that I am, up to par with what they think I am. I can catch fish, but there have been days that I haven't caught anything at all, due to my limited tackle, or being land stricken! I fish with my father in law, mostly on his little 1988 gregor bass boat. I don't currently own my own boat, nor can I afford a new boat, much less a cheap used boat! I am not a wealthy man, nor am I really in the place to get there... But I fish, and I love it! It gives me reprieve from the daily hectic chaos of life! Though, every chance I get, I buy myself some kind of gear, or lures. My next purchases include a nice shirt, some nice pants, a bass pro shops tournament bait casting reel, and several crank baits. I think that should set me up, on my end of fishing, and maybe get looked at by other fishermen, more seriously. I just don't like being laughed at because I present myself, in a less than proper manner. I appreciate all of the suggestions, this is really helping my confidence, in what I thought was, the right direction! Thanks again guys!

Ok, I am looking to go into the professional area of bass fishing, but I would like to dress the part, a little better than a t-shirt and shorts, or jeans. What do you suggest I wear, to look a little more professional? I know that a lot of professionals wear jeans during tournaments, but I want to look more serious, than I have in the past. Any suggestions would help! And what is the best kind of shirt? This only matters, as I am looking for sponsorship later on, but would prefer to get used to the dressing patterns. Looking the part, and carrying myself, are just as important as the fishing, itself. At least, this is the way I feel. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

That's what I plan on doing. Gonna probably go out, and get me some different sized bagleys, in the same color variation. I have to say, though, it was pretty wicked to see all the new baits at the store today! I seen at least 3-5 that I want to try!

Yeah, it was in the high 80s, low 90s last week. This week cooled off to the 70s. Not too bad, but I got burnt yesterday! lol

I have to say, that I was seriously killing them yesterday, and not even trying! lol I haven't had so many near strikes, this year... It was amazing! Gonna have to go out and get me like 5 more of this bait! I really like it. It's really a great lure, for the price! I have a 12 dollar rapala that I can't even get a strike on! It's really mind blowing!

I went out to the old lake, and was casting worms wacky, and such. My father in law, and I had been out on Kelseycreek for an hour, and hit the point that we were thinking the day was looking bad. I got tired of throwing the worm, and reached into my box, where my Cotton Cordell Wiggle-O was sitting. It's shad colored, with bloody gills and a red chin. I never have had luck on a crank bait before! I threw it out, and caught one! Nothing big, just a lb and a half. Nothing big, but my heart was pumping! I threw it again, and again, and 3rd time's a charm! BAM! 2 fish about the same size, in 5 minutes! Now I am thinking to myself, "this is unbelievable!" Kept throwing it, and about 5-10 minutes later, a third! I ended up losing that one, but it was near enough to the boat to see that it was a couple lbs. No big deal, about this time, I put the 3 dots on my lure to mark it's success. We go back out towards the front, just by the state park, and run up on shore to get some ice cream from the little store. We come back empty handed as they don't have credit right now... My father in law runs out to soda bay to get some cash, and I am screwing around at the boat. I throw it again, and get a strike. Lost it some way out, not paying attention was the issue... I am amazed at my success this day! He comes back and has me run the trolling motor, and we go straight to the other side, and I reel in really slow, and BAM! AGAIN! Now this is astounding to me! I don't know if the fish were turned on, or what! So I am 4 fish strong after a couple hours. We go out to the boat ramp side, where we launched the boat. I caught one more! 5 fish on one lure! Not at all bad, especially for a lure I had fished for hours before, and had nothing! Big fish was only 2.5lbs, but it was the amazement on my face, that said it all! I have a video and pictures on my father in laws camera. I will upload those asap! It was amazing! The whole season, which for me started back in march, I had nothing... 1 bass, and 4 crappie. So now I am up to 6 bass. This lake has been really difficult this year! Rediculous for any tournament, and everyone is saying it's hard! Most people saying nothing more than, "just 3 today.". These guys are running with all the best equipment, and boats... And I pull 5 in a few hours, just in an aluminum gregor... What does that say?! Am I good at finding, and catching them, all the sudden? Was it luck? I don't know, but I skunked the old man! So I am happier than a pig in stink! lol

Not to hijack this thread, but I bought a spinning reel, read the box, "excellence is our priority" or whatever, and caught two smaller fish, and it whizzed and scraped after that... Oiled it after every outting, and never did anything wrong. Just crapped out. It was a spinning reel, a 2000A spitfire. Not an expensive reel or anything, but I just thought it would have been better. Though, I had the same issue with a D-shock kit! The reel on that also did the same thing, but I love that pole! If I ever get it out of storage, and put another tip on it, that medium light pole is going to be back in my arsenal! Don't get me wrong, I love their poles, they are really quality, just figured the reels could stand up to catching a crappie, and a bass... So, you never can judge a company, or country of origin, based on past experiences. I love a lot of things that come from japan, they are a very intelligent, and foot forward kind of country. I just had bad experience with one company. I will not be buying from them again, unless it's a lure, or pole. Their reels are just junk!

Hey Marty... I could test that sexy shad for ya! lol Since you don't have time, or anything... lol JK. But seriously, that is a sick color, I like that. But all your baits are sexy as hell! Keep on keepin' on! You do great work!

No, I wasn't mixing the two up. Let me clarify. The Japanese make some pretty fantastic gear, excluding daiwa... Just have had bad experience. But the Chinese baits are usually pretty good to paint over... lol

Mainly, longevity. I have some titanium guides, and they look like new, had them on my rod for about 10 years now... Is it worth it? To some, just the drop of weight isn't all that noticeable... It's mostly just a few grams! It all depends on what you look for in a guide. If you get titanium, expect them to outlast the rod! Already, this rod has been broke in half, cracked, and the tip broken. So, no matter what, it's still going to determine on what you want... I heard something about people saying that braid cuts into it less, also? I don't know about that, though. I run monofiliment on all my rods, just because it's got a better stretch. So that one, you would have to determine on your own! GL with whatever choice you make! And do what you think will make you happiest.

It looks beautiful! I wonder if anyone complained about the plain look on the older revo series? lol I hope it performs just as well, and doesn't cost a fortune! If it's above 130 dollars, then I won't be getting it... Cheap old bass pro shops reels for me, in that case... lol

If no one else has already suggested it, (sorry guys feeling too lazy to read!) how about you head on over to bass pro shops, and check out their selection? they have a nice bait caster for 39.99, 10 bearings, and full outside adjustment of the bearings. With shipping and all, it's in the 47 dollar range! Just under 50, and it seems to have great reviews! I am going to be getting 2 in the next couple weeks!

Yard sales my friend, yard sales! I have seen about a thousand of them, just passing by yard sales! lol I will keep an eye out for you, though. How much do you want to spend? I might actually have one that I am not using... By presto pot, you mean a slow cooker, right?

Hell, get really inspired, and re-wrap it yourself. There are thousands of tutorials on how to do it! My brother in law could teach me in person, but it's a great skill to have, jut because! It doesn't really look all that hard. In the mean time, just buy another rod, if it was only 40 bucks... You could always just replace it? What about warranty?

Believe it or not, I have tried the cheap walmart renegade baits, and actually had bites on them! lol They aren't that bad in quality, just cheaply made in China... But how many of the baits we use, aren't made in china, or japan?! lol Jakall is made by a couple of Japanese brothers. And I think that lucky craft is also a Chinese, or Japanese company also? Either way, all have the potential to catch fish, you just have to try harder, and hope that the fish will bite. And as far as painting a bait in that color, why not try to find a cheaper alternative? I have seen that on other baits, not the same exact paint, but close enough that you could just paint the yellow line on it, and call it sexy!

I really like how shiny they are! If you look closely, you can see a reflection on that top bait. Looks really great! I really like there baits. They look, like they would catch some whoppers!

What do you mean, "It doesn't work"? Like it doesn't wake? That's too bad... It looks great!

LOL! That's true. I have been painting, drawing, and such, since I was just 5. I have about 20 years of it under my belt, so I should do ok... I'm no where near as good as some of the other people on here, as I am still a real nooby air brush artist. I have all the equipment though! I was thinking about using brushes, rather than air, since my skills on that still suck, and I need more practice. As far as the third grader art work goes... lol I hear ya there! I have had some things that have made me wonder, "why I even wasted so much time painting it!?". Even with a ton of experience under the belt, with different media, comes a whole different line of work... I can see that these smaller baits might be a little hard to get painted, but my new 7" swim bait is going to be a little easier! It's nice being able to carve in the shop. I can't wait until I am completely done with that one!

You're right Big M! I should do that... I have been motivated to do new things, after seeing all of your custom baits! You are a really big reason as to why I started making my own baits. Along with many others! Have I seen your baits in a local store? They look kind of familiar! Anyhow, thanks for all the comments and suggestions!

Actually, I did paint it before the clear. I'm sure it will catch fish, just when, and where is the question... We will see, I guess! I don't know why the heck the foil came out of the edges like that... when I cut it out with the blade, it was all even with the paper... Weird stuff. I will probably sand the clear on the back and belly, and lay down some white primer, and try those again. I have the colors, just need to get the old panasche airbrush out... lol

That's true though, munkin! Fish don't give a crap about the color combination, in a pattern of perplexity... They really only see random objects, in random colors... lol I just know that I am throwing something, that I don't trust to be the perfect color... I think that it looking more realistic, has more chance of being an attractant, than an irritant... Just my train of thought.

I'm this hard on myself because I am supposed to be an artist, and I jacked this piece of art all up... lol I have always been this hard on myself. They say an artist is his/her own hardest critic! lol I am the worst critic... I want everything 100% perfect. It has potential, just going to take more work! I didn't take a picture of the other side, but I ripped a small hole in the paper, not all the way through, but I was thinking about painting a red bloody mess on it, just to keep it looking like a bait... I covered it up with some green paint, but it doesn't match, it's the wrong color... The top and bottom are also the wrong colors. I have to mix the airbrush paint, before I can shoot it... I don't know, I guess I expected it to look, more shiny than it actually came out! The paper didn't become translucent with the first layer of clear, so I stopped... I guess it might work, on the lake, but it's not great... I will try it, and see what happens! Thanks for the comments, I appreciate it. This thing is growing on me... More and more! I will try again, but maybe get some better paper... lol

Ok got some pics, one is a little blurry, but you get the picture...

It's a little irritating, as I can make the baits, I just can't paint, so I seen this as an alternative... lol I am usually pretty artistic, but this time, seems that my excitement got the best of me! I might just have to strip is back down to the wood, and try again... I really like the lure itself, and think that it deserves a nice finish... Thanks for the encouragement! I appreciate that!

Well, after seeing people doing the "realistic" cranks, I tried it for myself... I must say, that it is a lot harder than it appears. I am working on the pictures right now, but the camera isn't really agreeing with me... Late night last night, and I am beat! But as far as the project goes... It went horrible, to me anyhow... I did everything as said, but still, my lure didn't come out shiney, as others have had... What am I doing wrong? I followed the direction of a member here, and a tutorial over at TU... It isn't the most horrible looking lure I have seen, I just want to soak off all the paper, aluminum foil, and try again... It seems like such a waste, to have a lure I carved by hand, go down as my first failure... Any info on what you have done, or heard done on this subject, would be much appreciated. I am not at all afraid to say I failed, it's just so depressing! :-/